Brooklyn Beer Bars Part 1 - Waterfront Ale House

To those who don’t follow this sort of thing closely there might be some confusion between a bar with a nice beer selection and a dedicated beer bar. A quick way to distinguish between the two is to look at the number of draft beers on offer. A good bar will have 6 or 7 - a beer bar will have around 20.

Having a lot of bottled beers doesn’t make you a beer bar. It doesn’t take all that much effort to maintain a large inventory of bottles – it’s a low maintenance undertaking. Having a large inventory of draft beers, on the other hand, means that the owners are willing to invest considerable energy and resources in making a wide range of fresh beers available to their customers. Draft beers are high maintenance. They need to be kept at the proper temperature, the pipes need to be kept clean, and because they’re unpasteurized, they have a limited shelf life. Any bar that offers 20 brews on draft is telling you where their heart is.

Enough with the definitions; on to the beer.

A few weeks ago I decided to do some research. I started at the Waterfront Ale House, at 20 years old the granddaddy of all Brooklyn beer bars. I hadn’t spent any quality time there in awhile and I wanted to use them as a benchmark to measure the newcomers. It also didn’t hurt that they sell a first rate burger. Rating beers is not something you want to do on an empty stomach.

Then it was on to an edgy area of 4th Avenue that contains no less than 3 beer bars in a one block area – Pacific Standard, Cherry Tree, and the 4th Ave Pub. I call it the Beer Triangle.

This was an ambitious agenda but then, I like to think that I’ve been training my whole life for this type of thing.

One of the opening shots of the beer revolution was the founding in 1989 of the Waterfront Ale House in Brooklyn. This coincided with my return to Park Slope from points south. I refuse to believe this was a coincidence and like to think of it as a “Field of Dreams” moment – they built it and I came.

Ambiance-------------At first glance the WAH could pass as a neighborhood bar. As beer bars go it’s more brightly lighted than most others although if you’re over 40 you wouldn’t want to try and read a newspaper. The bar area is separated from the dining area by a 6 foot partition which makes for a slightly cramped aisle as people pass behind the seats at the bar.

The Ale House first opened across the street in a smaller space that has now become Last Exit. When they transferred to the larger quarters that they now occupy they brought along the stylized three dimensional model of the lower Manhattan skyline. It’s illuminated from the rear and after 20 years it’s nice to see that it’s still around.

Staff------Some of them are still around after 20 years too. I recognized bartenders and servers that I first saw in the early 1990s. It’s pleasing to see that level of stability. They’re all efficient and friendly.

The Crowd---------------Call it a Neighborhood Mix. The age range runs from early 20s to late 60s with the median at 35. In the adjoining dining room are some families with children. It was a lively but well behaved crowd. I arrived at 7 on a Friday night and there looked to be a sprinkling of after work parties mixed in with regulars who seemed like they are there for the long haul. The bar was crowded.

Soundtrack---------------Van Morrison’s Greatest Hits.

The Beers--------------I counted 17 beers on draft although there could have been more. It’s an extensive selection. They’ve got a few passable wines by the glass and I was stunned to see that they are now offering cocktails. This is worrisome but I suspect that nobody takes this seriously. They also serve absinthe.

I started with a Pennichuck IPA which I found only decent. It wasn’t particularly hoppy for an IPA and my notes say “watery.”

Things got better with the Harpoon Celtic Ale. It was balanced but a little thinner than I prefer. It was certainly more than drinkable.

The best was my 3rd selection, the Harpoon Leviathan. It was rounded and creamy with a pleasant hoppy undertone. I could drink a lot of this if given the chance.

Extra Points----------------For 20 years the WAH has been offering free help-yourself popcorn from a freestanding popcorn stand. It’s salty and addictive.

They have a full menu and serve above average pub food. The burger is quite good. I had one at the bar.

In preparing this post I researched absinthe on Wikipedia. Among other things the article says “Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but can also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as "la fée verte" (the Green Fairy).”

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